Hundreds feared dead in Iran as quake hits several countries all over the globe

Strong tremors shook tall buildings in India, Pakistan, Iran and Papa New Guinea. 87 people were reportedly killed in Iran.

An Iranian official said hundreds of dead are expected from the quake in the south-east of the country. Iranian state TV said at least 40 people have been killed by a major earthquake near the Iran-Pakistan border.

A strong 8.0 magnitude earthquake struck Iran, near the border with Pakistan, at 10:44 GMT on Tuesday at a depth of 73 miles The U.S. Geological survey said.

Tremors shook buildings in India’s capital New Delhi on Tuesday, sending people running into the streets, Reuters witnesses said.

A 5.6-magnitude earthquake struck Papua New Guinea on Tuesday, the US Geological Survey said.

The quake hit 125 kilometres (77 miles) southwest of the town of Panguna on Bougainville Island at 8:00 pm local time (10:00 GMT), at a depth of 10 kilometres.

Strong earthquakes are common in the impoverished country, which sits on the so-called “Pacific Ring of Fire”, a hotspot for seismic activity due to friction between tectonic plates.

A giant tsunami in 1998 killed more than 2,000 people near Aitape, on the country’s northwest coast.